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Teacher Education Quarterly, Winter 2012

“College Is a Good Placeto Go to Become

What You Want to Become”:A Collaboration

between Liberal Arts Undergraduatesand Urban Middle School Students

By Carol R. Rinke, Melissa E. Arsenie, & Suzanne Bell

Carol R. Rinke is a professor in the Education Department at Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Melissa E. Arsenie is with The Posse Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts; and Suzanne Bell is with the Baltimore City Public School System, Baltimore, Maryland.

Introduction IntheUnitedStates,thereisapressingneedtobridgethedividebetweenthehighereducationinstitu-tionswhereteachersarepreparedandtheschoolsiteswheretheyworkwithstudents(e.g.,McDiarmid&Clevenger-Bright, 2008; Zeichner, 2003). Linkingthetheoreticalfoundationsofteachereducationpro-gramswithpracticalexperienceinK-12classroomsoffersfutureteachersthefundamentalopportunitytolearnbothinandfrompractice,developingastanceofinquiryabouttheirteaching(Ball&Cohen,1999;Cochran-Smith&Lytle,1999).Thesecollaborationsareparticularlycriticalforurbanclassroomswheretheculturalbackgroundsandcommunicationpatternsof students so often differ from the predominantlymono-cultural body of future educators (Banks, et

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al.,2005;Haberman,1996)andwhereschoolsstruggletoretainastablecorpsofhighly-qualifiedteachers(Ingersoll,2001;Lankford,Loeb,&Wyckoff,2002).Moreover,withgrowingnationalinterestinalternativecertificationroutes(Zeich-ner&Conklin,2005),itisincreasinglyimportantthathighereducationandK-12collaborationsreachallprospectiveteachers,thosecurrentlyenrolledinteachereducationprogramsaswellasliberalartsundergraduatescontemplatingteachingatsomepointintheirprofessionalfuture.Whilethereareaplethoraofopportunitiesforpost-graduatestudentstoengageinteacherpreparationwithinurbancontexts(e.g.,Berry,Montgomery,&Snyder,2008;Veltri,2008;Villegas&Clewell,1998),fewopportunitiesexistforundergraduatesinterestedinurbaneducationtoexplorethefield,particularlythosestudentsenrolledatresidential,liberalartsinstitutionslocatedfarfromurbanareas. Thisarticlereportsonthedevelopment,implementation,andoutcomesofapartnershipbetweenGarrettCollege,ahighly-selectiveprivateliberalartscollege,andWorthingtonCharterSchool,apublicK-8charterschoolinBaltimore,Maryland.1

Thispartnership,whichwasinitiatedin2007,launchedthefirstofanannualseriesofCollegeandCareerInstitutesformiddleschoolstudentsinthespringof2009.2Buildinguponthestrongfoundationofpriorschool-universitypartnershipsintheformofProfessionalDevelopmentSchools(PDS),service-learningprograms,andteachereducationfieldwork,thiscollaborationwasconstructedaroundanotionofsharedownership,inwhichcollegestudentsandmiddleschoolstudentswereequallyengagedintheconstructionofmutuallybeneficiallearningexperiences.Throughresearchintotheexperiencesofbothgroupsofstudents,wefindchangedperspectivesandstrongrelationshipsresultingfromparticipation,eachmediatedbytheindividual’sbackgroundandpriorperspectives.Weconcludethatthereisconsiderablevalueinbringingtogetherindividualsfromdisparatebackgroundsasco-ownersinameaningfulandjointeducationalendeavor.

The Partnership Thispartnership,jointlydevelopedoverthecourseoftwoyearsbyGarrettCollege andWorthington Charter School administrators, faculty, and students,aimedtobringtogethercollegeandmiddleschoolstudentswiththegoalofbetterunderstandingtherealitiesofurbanschoolingfortheformerandthecollegeexperi-enceforthelatter.Thisprogramwasgroundedinpriornotionsabouthigh-qualityurbanteacherpreparation,includingparticipationinmeaningfultasks,dialogue,andmutualengagement(e.g.,Oakes,Franke,Quartz,&Rogers,2002).Moreover,itacceptedthenotionthatlegitimateperipheralparticipation,asbothstudentsandteachers,canleadtofullerparticipationandevenidentitydevelopment(e.g.,Lave&Wenger,1991;Wenger,1998). Thelong-term,shared,anditerative taskofdeterminingstudentneedsandresearchingpossiblestructuresultimatelyresultedinthecreationoftheCollegeand

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CareerInstitute,aweek-longafter-schoolprograminwhichGarrettundergraduatesdevelopedinteractivecurriculatoteachWorthingtonCharterSchool6th,7th,and8thgradersabouttheneedforhighereducation,collegelife,andthepracticalitiesofidentifying,applyingto,andfundingcollege.Theinstituteculminatedinapubliccelebrationwheremiddleschoolstudentsdisplayedbothartisticandprofessionalartifactsdepictingtheirfuturecareerplansandlifepathstofamilyandcommunitymembers.ThisintenseprogramwasfollowedtwoweekslaterbyacampusvisitfromtheWorthingtonstudents,inwhichtheyhadtheopportunitytolearnaboutcollegeadmissions,academics,andextra-curricularsfirsthand.Directexperienceswerecomplementedbyopportunitiesforwrittenreflectionanddialogueforbothgroupsofstudents.Throughouttheprogram,ahighprioritywasplacedonconsistentsmallgroupingsofGarrettandWorthingtonCharterSchoolstudentsasawaytofosterthedevelopmentofstrongmentoringrelationships. SixteenGarrettstudentsfromfreshmentoseniorsandfromacademicdisciplinesincludingsociology,politicalscience,psychology,andAfricanastudiesparticipatedthroughenrollmentinasemester-longcourseonUrbanEducation(seeTable1).Thecoursewasopentoteachereducationstudentsaswellasotherundergraduatesinterestedinissuesofurbanschooling.Sixofthe16participatingstudentswerepartofGarrett’steachereducationprogram;theothersexpressedstronginterestinworkwithurbanyouthandpublicpolicy.Threeofthestudentshadthemselvesattendedurbanschools.Thecoursecoveredfoundationalissuesinurbaneducation

Table 1Overview of Garrett College Participants

Student Gender Race Academic Major Teacher Educational Year Educ. Background

Adele Female Black Senior AfricanaStudies No SuburbanPublicAlice Female White Senior Sociology Yes SuburbanPublicAnisha Female Black Soph. Psychology No UrbanPublicAudrey Female White Junior Globaliz.Studies No SuburbanPublicBrady Male White Junior English Yes SuburbanPublicDarrell Male Black Soph. Women,Gender& No UrbanMagnet SexualityStudiesEdgar Male White Soph. Management No RuralPublicElisa Female White Senior Religion Yes PrivateElizabethFemale White Soph. Psychology No SuburbanPublicEva Female White Soph. English Yes SuburbanPublicKaitlyn Female White Soph. Sociology No SuburbanPublicKali Female White Freshm. History Yes SuburbanPublicKevin Male White Junior Psychology No SuburbanPublicMartin Male White Senior Psychology Yes PrivateMaura Female White Junior PoliticalScience No PrivateWarren Male Black Senior AfricanaStudies Some UrbanPublic

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suchashistoricalroots,politicalandeconomicsourcesofinequality,race,class,andculture,andstructures for school reform.This theoreticalbackgroundwasintendedtocomplementtheirreal-worldexperienceinurbanschoolsandpreparethemtodesignandimplementarelevantandmeaningfulcurriculumduringtheCollegeandCareerInstitute.DuringtheirweekinBaltimore,Garrettstudentsalsovisitedseveralneighborhoodschools,conductedacasestudyofstudenteducationalexperiences,exploredavarietyofschoolreformmodels,andspokewithteachers,administrators,andcommunityleaders. Garrettstudentswerejoinedby31WorthingtonCharterSchool6th,7th,and8thgraderswhovoluntarilyregisteredfortheCollegeandCareerInstitutefollowinganintroductiontotheprogramforbothstudentsandfamilies.WorthingtonCharterSchoolisasmall,family-likecharterschoolfoundedin1997ontheprinciplesofacademicachievement,diversity,andartsintegration.Theschoolwasdesignedtobringtogetherstudentsfromtworaciallyandsocioeconomicallydivergentneighbor-hoodsinBaltimore,oneofthemosthighlysegregatedcitiesinthecountry(Massey&Denton,1998).WorthingtonCharterSchoolusesalotterysystemtodrawanequalnumberofstudentsfromapredominantlylow-incomeBlackneighborhoodandanadjacentmiddleclassneighborhoodwithbothBlackandWhiteresidents.AsBaltimoreCity8thgradersareexpectedtoapplytoavarietyoftrackedhighschoolsthroughoutthecity,thesemiddleschoolstudentswereatthecuspofanimportantdecisionregardingtheirfutureeducationandlifepath.TheCollegeandCareerInstituteaimedtoservetheneedsofthesestudentsbyhelpingthemtoreflectontheirdirectionandgroundvaguenotionsabouttheirfutureintherealitiesofhighereducation. During program development and implementation, Garrett College andWorthingtonCharterSchoolstudentsservedasbothteachersandlearners,blurringtraditionallinesestablishedbyageandeducationalattainment.Garrettstudentswerechargedwithcollaborativelydesigningandimplementinganinteractivecur-riculumonthepurposesandprocessesofhighereducation,pairedwithameaningfulcampusvisit.Theyalsolearnedfromtheiryoungercolleaguesabouttheculturesofthecity,theireducationalexperiences,andtheirlong-termaspirations.Likewise,Worthingtonstudentsservedas teachers to theiroldercolleagues,sharingwiththem interests, successes, challenges, anddreams, all thewhile learning aboutvariouswaystoachievetheirprofessionalandpersonalgoals.Together,GarrettandWorthingtonstudentssharedownershipoverthiseducationalendeavor,eachteachingandlearningtogether.

Theoretical Foundations and Literature Review Wecametothispartnershipfromthetheoreticalperspectivethathighereduca-tionandK-12partnershipscan,attheirbest,bemutuallybeneficial,offeringtheopportunityforsimultaneousrenewal(Goodlad,1990).Wealsorecognizedthat

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collaborationsbetweeninstitutionswithdifferentpurposesanddistinctinstitutionalculturescomewithacertaininherentsetofchallengesandnaturalconflict(Walker,1999).Afterexaminingthecharacteristicsofsuccessfulpartnerships, includingsustainability, joint usefulness and productivity, frequent communication, andflexibility(Russell&Flynn,2000),weaimedtodevelopacollaborationinwhichallparticipantscouldhaveameaningfuleducationexperience,indicatedbyclearoutcomes forbothcollegeandmiddleschool students (Chorzempa&Isabelle,2008).Wealsobuiltourprogramonafoundationofmutualrespectforallplayers(Marlow,Kyed,&Connors,2005),whichwesawasakeyingredientforajointly-ownededucationalendeavor. Wesituateourprogramwithinthreelargerbodiesofliterature:researchonPDSpartnerships,studiesofservicelearningwithinliberalartseducation,andworkonurbanfieldexperiencesforteachereducationcandidates.Weseeourpartnershipasgroundedinandbuildinguponeachofthesefields.TheprinciplesofPDSpartner-ships,laidouttheHolmesGroupreportTomorrow’s Schools(1990),focusonusingschool-universitypartnershipsassitesforprofessionalpreparation,schoolresearch,andimprovementofteaching.TheliteraturepraisesPDSpartnershipsasvehiclesforenhancedpre-serviceteacherfieldexperiences,ongoingteacherdevelopmentandempowerment,andevenincreasedstudentachievement(Byrd&McIntyre,1999;Clift&Brady,2005;Darling-Hammond,2006;Knight,Wiseman,&Cooner,2000).SpecificexamplesofPDSpartnershipsabound,withdescriptionspredominantlyfocusingontheircreationandimplementation,teacherreflectionandgrowth,andthelearningcommunitiesthatemergedfromthepartnerships(Boyle-Baise&McIntyre,2008;Pajak,1999).DespitetheoverwhelmingstrengthsofPDSs,somenotethattheyhavethepotentialtodomoretoimprovelearningexperiencesinschoolswithlow-income,culturallyandlinguisticallydiversestudentsandadvancethegoalsofeducationalequity(Valli,Cooper,&Frankes,1997;Wong&Glass,2005).Inthiscollaboration,webuilduponthebasicprinciplesofPDSpartnershipsasmutuallybeneficialsitesforbothteachereducationandprofessionaldevelopment,applyingthesefoundationstotherelationshipbetweenaprivateliberalartscollegeandaraciallyandsocioeconomicallydiverseurbanschool. WepairthisfoundationinPDSpartnershipswithworkonacademicservice-learningforundergraduatestudents.Theservice-learningapproachtoliberalartseducationblendscourse-basedacademiclearningwithprojectsservingtheneedsofthecommunityinsuchawaythatthetwoarecloselyintegrated,onebuildingoffoftheother(Rhoads&Howard,1998).Servicelearninghasbeennotedasaparticularlyeffectivepedagogyforhelpingundergraduatestudentsdevelopcomplexperceptionsoftruthandacceptambiguityoverandabovesimplisticsolutionstoreal-worldproblems(Butin,2005).Butincallsservicelearningatransformativeanddangerouspedagogybecauseit,“challengesourstaticnotionsof teachingandlearning,decentersourclaimtothelabelsof‘students’and‘teachers’,andexposesandexploresthelinkagesbetweenpower,knowledge,andidentity”(Butin,2005,pp.vii-viii).

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Althoughservicelearningispredominantlylocatedwithinthebroaderliberalarts educational context, ithasalsobeenapplied to teachereducation.Servicelearningisseenaspowerfulforteacherpreparationbecauseofitsabilitytofostersocialunderstanding,providecivicandmoralbenefitsforparticipants,andpreparepre-serviceteachersfortheworkplace(Verducci&Pope,2001).Recommendationsforintegratingservicelearningintoteachereducationincludemeetingtheneedsofallstakeholders,structuringservice,reflection,andassessment,andorganizingaroundprogramgoalsandstandards(Anderson&Hill,2001).Specificexamplesofservicelearningwithinteachereducationpromoteenhancedunderstandingofsubjectmatterandstudentsaswellascriticalthinkingandcollaborativeskills(e.g.,Handa,etal.,2008;Kirtman,2008).Ourprogramappliesthemostsalientaspectsofservicelearningtomeettheneedsofpre-serviceteachers,prospectiveteach-ers,andmiddleschoolstudents.Mostsignificantly,wedrawfromnotionsaboutcomplicatingstatictruthsthroughfieldexperienceandservingtheidentifiedneedsofourcommunitypartner. Finally,ourprogramalsopullsfromresearchonurbanfieldplacementswithinteachereducation.Inparticular,wegroundourprograminresearchdemonstrat-inghowfirst-handexperiencescanaffectpre-serviceteachernotionsabouturbanstudentsandschools.Thecurrentdemographicdivideinourcountrybetweenin-creasinglydiversestudentsandlargelymono-culturalpre-serviceteachershasledtoaconsensusaroundtheimportanceofengagingwithissuesofrace,class,andsocialinequalitywithinteachereducationandhelpingpre-serviceteachersdevelopconcreteskillsforworkingwithstudentsdifferentthanthemselves(Darling-Ham-mond,2006;Gay&Howard,2000).Studiesindicatethatpre-serviceteachersholdlargelydeficitviewsofurbancontexts,perceivingthemasviolence-riddenandvaluingurbanteacherswhiledisparagingurbanstudents(Gilbert,1997;Watson,Charner-Laird,Kirkpatrick,Szczesiul,&Gordon,2006). Previousworkonurbanfieldplacementshasdemonstratedthatpre-serviceteacherscangainknowledgeaboutculturalvaluesandpatternsofcommunica-tion,overcomeasenseof“cultureshock,”anddeveloppositivedispositionsaboutworkingwithurbanschoolsandstudents(e.g.,Marxen&Rudney,1999;Olmedo,1985;Swartz,2003;Zeichner&Melnick,1996).Inourcollaboration,webuilduponthisfoundationofresearchonurbanfieldplacementsandexplorebothcol-legestudents’andmiddleschoolstudents’changedperspectivesasaresultoftheirmutualengagement.Becausethiscourseengagessuchadiversityofcollegestudentsintermsofacademicfocusandcareerplans,wealsoexploretheoutcomesofthisprogramwithrespecttoprofessionaldirection. BuildinguponthefoundationsofpreviousPDSpartnerships,service-learn-ingcoursework,andurbanfieldexperiences,wedevelopedauniquecollaborationbetweenliberalartsundergraduatesandmiddleschoolstudents.Thiscollaborationdrewparticularelementsfromeachofitspredecessors,includingschool-universitycollaborationsasmutuallybeneficialsitesforteacherpreparationanddevelopment,

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schoolsascontextsforcomplicatingacademiclearningwhileservingtheneedsofthecommunity,andurbanexperiencesasameanstodevelopproductiveperspec-tivesonschools,studentsandcareers.Together,thisledtoapartnershipfocusedonhelpingliberalartsundergraduatesgrapplewiththechallengesandsuccessesof urban schoolingwhile simultaneously supportingmiddle school students indevelopingtheirownideasabouthighereducation.Inthisway,theCollegeandCareerInstitutepreparedpre-serviceandprospectiveteachers,mettheneedsofthepartnermiddleschoolstudents,andresultedinbothstrongmentoringrelationshipsandalteredperspectivesonschools,students,andcareers.

Research Methods Inanefforttounderstandtheoutcomesandcontinuallyimproveourpartner-ship,weinitiatedaprimarilyqualitativecasestudyexploringtheperspectivesofthecollegeandmiddleschoolstudentsparticipatingintheprogram(Yin,2003).Growingoutofourtheoreticalframework,thisresearchfocusedonunderstandingcollegestudents’ideasaboutschools,students,andcareerswithinurbancontextsandmonitoringthoseperspectivesovertime.Wealsoaimedtounderstandhowthemiddleschoolstudentsinterpretedtheirweek-longexperienceintheCollegeandCareerInstituteaswellastheGarrettcampusvisit.Overall,weaddressedtwooverarchingresearchquestions:

(1)Whataretheoutcomesforallparticipatingpartiesofacollaborationbetweenliberalartsundergraduatesandurbanmiddleschoolstudents?

(2)Howdidthoseinvolved,fromdifferentbackgroundsandeducationalmotivations,makesenseoftheirexperienceintheprogram?

Eachofthethreeauthorsplayedaroleintheimplementationofthispartnership,oneasateachereducator,oneasanundergraduatestudent,andoneasaschooladministrator.Givenourdualrolesasparticipantsandresearchers,wescruti-nizedassumptions,sharedunderstandings,andtriangulateddatainanefforttogenerateaninterpretationofdataindependentfromourownrelationshipstothepartnership(Merriam,1998). Dataforthisstudyweredrawnfromavarietyofsourcescollectedoverthecourseofthefirstimplementationsemester,includingsurveys,writtenreflections,naturalisticobservations,andongoingcommunications.Forthecollegestudents,apre-andpost-coursesurveywas implementedwhichspecifically investigatedstudents’interestinurbaneducation,ideasabouturbancultures,careerpaths,andpreviouseducationalexperiences.Wealsoexaminedwrittenreflectionsfromanongoingjournalassignmentinwhichstudentsrelatedtheirpast,present,andfuturetoideasandexperiencesinthecourse.Additionalacademicworkwasalsointegrated,withspecificattentionpaidtostudents’analysesofschoolreforminitiativesbasedontheirfirst-handexperiencesinurbanschools.Finally,weconductednaturalistic

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observationsduringclasssessionsandprogramimplementationandincorporatedverbalandemailcommunicationtoprovideamorecompletepictureofstudentperspectives.MiddleschoolstudentperspectiveswerecapturedthroughparticipantobservationduringtheCollegeandCareerInstitute,artifactsgeneratedduringtheInstitute,andaculminatingsurveylookingatstudentperspectives,relationships,andlearning. Dataanalysistookplaceiterativelyduringandfollowingcompletionoftheprogramandusedavarietyofmethodsinanefforttounderstandhowbothcollegestudentsandmiddleschoolstudentsmadesenseoftheprograminrelationtotheirparticularbackgroundandexperiences(Bogdan&Biklen,2003).Surveydatawereanalyzedfortrendswithingroupsofstudents,includingyear,academicinterest,andeducationalbackground,aswellaschangeovertime.Writtendatawerecodedusingaframeworkofinitialideasanddevelopingperspectivesinrelationtocourseconceptsandanalyzedinanefforttoidentifypatternsamongandbetweengroupsofstudents(Stake,1995).Individualstudentanalysisprecededcross-studentanalysisasweidentifiedbothpatternsanddissimilaritieswithinthelargercasestudy(Miles&Huberman,1994).Ouranalysisconcludedwithdetailedmembercheckstoverifyand,attimes,evenextendconclusions(Merriam,1998),andthesememberchecksresultedinanundergraduatestudentsuggestingthenotionofsharedownership.

Outcomes TheGarrett-Worthingtoncollaboration,incombinationwithotherexperiencesinthecourseandtheurbancontext,resultedinpositiveoutcomesforbothcollegeandmiddleschoolstudents.Garrettstudentsreportedmoreoptimisticviewsabouturbanschoolsandstudentsandincreasedinterestinpursuingpost-collegeworkinurbanareas.Inadditiontothesechangedperspectives,collegestudentswithdiffer-entacademic,personal,andeducationalbackgroundsmadesenseoftheirexperi-encesindistinctways,eachfilteringtheirexperiencesthroughthelensofpreviousinterestsandorientations.Liketheiroldercolleagues,themiddleschoolstudentsreportedincreasedunderstandingofandfocusonhighereducationaswellasstrongrelationshipswiththeircollegementors.WorthingtonCharterSchoolstudentsalsomadesenseoftheirexperiencesintheCollegeandCareerInstitutebasedoninitialideasaboutpersonalandprofessionaldirection.Finally,thispartnershipyieldedsomesurprisingresults,particularlywithrespecttotherelationshipsbetweenthecollegestudentsthemselves.Thissectionwillpresenttheoutcomesandexperiencesofcollegestudentsandmiddleschoolstudents,followedbyadiscussionofsomeofthemoresurprisingoutcomesoftheprogram.

College Student Outcomes Fromthebeginningofthecoursetotheend,Garrettstudentsreportedmorepositiveattitudesabouturbanstudents,families,andschools(seeTable2).Inpar-

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ticular,Garrettstudentscameawayimpressedwiththeyoungpeopletheymet.Onthepre-andpost-coursesurvey,Garrettstudentsrespondedmorepositivelytothestatement“Urbanstudentsareacademicallymotivated.”UsingaLikertscalefromonetofive,withonerepresenting“StronglyAgree”andfive“StronglyDisgree,”students’responseschangedfromaclassaverageof3.06atthebeginningofthesemestertoanaverageof2.69attheconclusionofthesemester.GarrettstudentsalsoexpressedtimeandagainhowsurprisedtheywerebyWorthingtonstudents’knowledgeof andpreparation for college.AndGarrett students explained that“interactionwiththestudentsatWorthington”wasthemostmeaningfulaspectof

Table 2College Student Attitudes about Urban Schools and Students,Pre- and Post-Course Survey Responses

Survey Question Pre- Post- Change Course Course in Class Class Response Average* Average

Urbanschoolsareorganized 3.31 3.31 0Urbanschoolshavedisciplineproblems 2.12 2.19 -0.07Urbanschoolshavealargelyminoritystudentbody 1.81 1.63 0.18Urbanschoolshavelargenumbersofspecialeducation students 3.19 3.44 -0.25Urbanschoolsaresafe 3.38 3.00 0.38Urbanstudentsareacademicallymotivated 3.06 2.69 0.37Urbanschoolsdon’thavetheresourcesforstudentstobeacademicallysuccessful 2.19 2.88 -0.69Urbanteachersarepositiverolemodels 2.50 2.72 -0.22Urbanteachersareunmotivated 3.75 3.44 0.31Urbanteachersarededicatedtotheirstudents 2.69 2.53 0.16Urbanteachersareunabletorelatetotheirstudents 3.25 3.38 -0.13Urbanprincipalsareincompetent 3.63 3.63 0Urbanparentsareactiveintheirchild’seducation 3.68 3.22 0.46Urbanparentsaresuspiciousoftheeducationalsystem 2.65 2.75 -0.10Teachersgenerallyworkinthesettingtheygrewupin(urban,rural,etc) 2.81 3.31 -0.50Urbanteachersareveryqualified 3.25 3.50 -0.25Urbanschoolsareniceplacestolearnandteach 3.88 3.63 0.25Urbanschoolsofferthesameopportunitiestostudentsassuburbanandruralschools 3.94 4.50 -0.56Studentachievementisprimarilydeterminedbyfamilybackground 3.09 3.03 0.06Urbanschoolspreparestudentsforcollege 3.41 3.78 -0.37

*Averageresponsesbasedonafive-pointLikertscale:1=StronglyAgree,2=Agree,3=Neutral,4=Disagree,5=StronglyDisagree.

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theirexperience.ThiselementofmutualunderstandingwasechoedbyoneoftheWorthingtonstudentswhowrote,“IfeellikeImadeaconnectionwiththe[Garrett]students,likeshowingthemthereismoretokidsthanwhattheythink.” Likewise,Garrettstudentsreportedmoreoptimisticviewsofurbanfamiliesandschools.Theyreportedmorepositiveresponsestothesurveyprompt“Urbanparentsareactiveintheirchild’seducation,”changingfromaclassaverageof3.69to3.22.Theyalsoreportedmorepositiveperspectivesonschoolsafety,availabilityofresources,andgeneralschoolclimate.Thisexperiencealsoappearedtoopentheireyestothechallengessomeurbanstudentsmustovercomeinordertoreachcollege.Attheconclusionofthesemester,theiraverageresponsetothestatement,“Urbanschoolsofferthesameopportunitiestostudentsassuburbanandruralschools”changedfroma3.94to4.50.Theoneareawherethereweremixedresultswaswithrespecttourbanteachers.Attheconclusionofthesemester,collegestudentsreportedthaturbanteacherswerelessmotivated,butmorededicated,thantheyhadpreviouslybelieved.Overall,Garrettstudentsalsoindicatedthaturbaneducationwasmuchmorecomplexthantheyhadpreviouslyrealized.Onestudentwrote,“Ilearnedthattherearemanydifferentproblemplaguingurbanschools,andwhiletheyarepossibletofix,theywillnotandcannotbefixedwithonesolution.” ParticipationintheCollegeandCareerInstitutealsoinfluencedsomecol-legestudents’careerplans(seeTable3).Attheconclusionofthesemester,thecollegestudentsindicatedthattheyweremorelikelytopursueworkinurban

Table 3College Student Career Plans, Pre- and Post-Course Survey Responses

Survey Question Pre- Post- Change Course Course in Class Class Response Average Average

IplantoearnmyteachingcertificationatGarrett 3.25 3.38 -0.13Iamconsideringearningateachingcertificateaftergraduation 2.82 2.58 0.24Iplantoworkwithschoolsoreducationindirectly(e.g.,after-schoolprograms,socialwork,counseling) 2.40 2.63 -0.18Iplantoworkineducationpolicy 3.19 3.25 -0.06Iplantoworkwithurbanyouthoutsideoftheschoolsetting 2.75 2.56 0.19Idonotplantoworkwithschoolsoreducation 4.38 4.40 -0.02IamconsideringTeachforAmericaoranotheralternativecertificationroute 3.13 2.31 0.82Iplantoworkinanurbanareatemporarily 3.13 2.81 0.32Iplantoworkinanurbanarealong-term 2.63 2.63 0Idonotplantoworkwithurbanschoolsorstudents 3.88 4.13 -0.25

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areasthantheyhadpreviouslyplanned.Theyalsoindicatedgreaterinterestindirectclassroomworkwithurbanstudents,throughgraduateteachereducationprogramsaswellasalternativecertificationprograms,andlessinterestinindirectworkwithschoolsorpolicy.Thiscoursealsoseemstohaveincreasedinterestinshort-termworkinurbanschoolsandcommunities,butdidnotalterlong-termcareerplans.Students’averageresponsestothestatement“Iplantoworkinanurbanarea temporarily” increasedfrom3.13to2.81,while theirresponses totheprompt“Iplantoworkinanurbanarealong-term,”althoughmorepositive,remainedunchangedat2.63.

College Student Experiences For students coming into theclasswithabackground in teaching throughGarrett’sEducationDepartment,thecourseprovidedinsightaboutteachinginurbanenvironmentsandallowedfordiscoveryofthevariousrolesyoungeducatorscanplayineducationreform.Withintheclass,severalstudentsplannedtobecomeurbanteachersupongraduation.Theyweredrawntothecourseforitsfocusonurbanissuesinschoolsaswellastheopportunitytoseewheretheycouldbestmakeanimpactonstudents’lives.Uponcompletingthecourse,thesestudentsreaffirmedtheircareerpathsaseducatorsandhadaclearersenseofwhatprofessionalmovesbestmadesensetothempersonally. Eva,aWhitewomanfromanaffluentareaofNewJersey,cametotheclasswithadesiretoteachinurbanschools,honedfromoutrageatwhatsheperceivedtobesystemicinequityinurbanareasaswellasapassionforcreatingchangeandinspiringstudentssparkedbythefilmFreedom Writers.Earlyinthesemester,Evadescribedherbeliefthat,“thereisahugedifferencebetween‘saving’andlearn-ing.Inordertomakechangetothegreaterissuesfacingsocietywecanbeginbybreakingdownindividualbarriers[and]learningfromoneanotheronthesamelevel.”TheseinitialbeliefsweredevelopedfurtherduringhertimeinBaltimore,whereshedescribedher“extremebeliefinmaintainingtheuniquenessandindi-vidualityofeachofmystudents.”However,Eva’sincreaseddesiretobecomeanurbanteacherclashedwithplanstoreturntoherhometownandteachatheroldhighschooloncesheisreadytostartafamily.Shestruggledwiththisapparentcontradiction,notinganeedto“makesurethatthechoicesImakealignwithmygoals.”Whilethisexperiencedidnotleadtoaclearsolution,itdidhelpEvatocomplicateherthinkingaboutherfutureasbothaneducatorandaparent. Martin,aWhitemanhimselfraisedinBaltimore,alsocametothecoursewiththeintentionofbecominganurbanteacher.Hebelievedthatalthoughhewouldinitiallystruggleintheclassroom,hewouldeventuallybeabletocreatechange.Onceinvolvedinthecourse,Martinnotedthatthisperceptionofteachinginanurbanschool“isalmostplagiarismoutofoneofHollywood’smoviesontheWhiteoutsidergivinghisorherstudentsarealchancetosucceedinlife.”LikeEva,thiscoursealsohelpedMartinthinkthroughissuesrelatedtohisroleasanurbaneduca-

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tor.Heexplainedthathispersonaldesiresforafamilyandwell-educatedchildrenmightnotalignwithhisplanstoteachinurbanschools:

IdecidedasafutureparentthatIwouldnotsendmychildrentoaprivateschoolsincethatwouldsimplybeaformofwhiteflightandabandoningthepublicschoolsystem.IreasonedthatIwouldwanttoteachinaschoolthatmadeadifferenceandthatagoodschoolformeasateacherwouldbeagoodschoolformeasaparent.

AfterthetriptoBaltimore,however,Martinrealizedthatthisissuewasmorecomplexthanhehadpreviouslythought.Hisabilitytograpplewithcomplexlifechoicesrelatedtobothfamilyandschoolingindicatearefinementofhisownpersonalroleinpromotingeducationequity. Otherstudentscameintothecoursewithnointentionofbecomingeducatorsbutwithinvestmentinsocialjusticeandacommitmenttotheeradicationofissuesrelatingtoclassandraceinsociety.Afterthecourse,thesestudentswerebetterabletonotonlyunderstandhowsocio-economicinequityandminoritydiscriminationaffecturbanstudentsbutalsowereabletoseewhatworktheycoulddoasadvocatesforurbanstudentstoimprovetheeducationandqualityoflifeforyoungpeopleeducatedincitieslikeBaltimore.Theseindividualsdidnotplantoworkwithintheclassroom,butbecamepassionateadvocatesforeducationalchange. Maura,aWhitewomanfromConnecticut,optedtoparticipateinthecoursebecauseofapassionforsocialjusticeissuescoupledwithalackofknowledgeabouthowsocial justicemanifests itselfwithin theeducationsystem.Privatelyeducatedattheinsistenceofherparents,Mauraconsideredparticipationinapro-gramlikeTeachforAmericaasapost-graduateoptionsimplybecauseitseemedtobeanopportunityto“giveback”andcreatechange.Afterthecourse,however,sheeliminatedworkinginanyclassroomasapotentialcareeroptionasaresultofherinabilitytocommittoaneducator’slifestyle.HerinitialresponsetourbanschoolreformfollowingtheBaltimoretripwasthattheissuesthemselvesweretoolargetocomprehend.Shewrote,“IamnowcurrentlystrugglingwithfindingabalancebetweenbeingoverwhelmedbythechallengesofurbanschoolreformandbeingmotivatedtocreatethechangethatIbelieveourentireclasscannowagreeisnecessary.”Afterfurtherdiscussionandreflection,bothpersonallythroughas-signmentsandwithpeersinclass,Maurawasabletoidentifyherselfasachampionforschoolreform,notingthat“AlthoughtheknowledgethatIcanimpactchangeissomethingthatIhaveknownmyentirelife,themotivationtodosocameingreatpartfrommyexperiencesthroughthiscourse.” ForAdele,aBlackstudentfromsuburbanGeorgiawithamajorinAfricanaStudies,difficultiesandproblemsassociatedwithurbanschoolsweredirectlycon-nectedtoAmerica’shistoryofslaveryandoppression.Shediscoveredthroughoutthecoursethatwhileshethoughthadagoodunderstandingofinequitywithintheschoolsystem,shecame“torealizethatthelifeoutcomesofurbanstudentsarealotworsethanIcouldhaveeverimagined.”Thisrevelationhelpedfosteradriveto

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raiseawarenessofissuesrelatingtourbaneducation.Infact,afterhertimeinBal-timore,Adelenoted,“Tobecompletelyhonest,myinterestinadvocatingforurbanstudentshasalwaysbeenonthelowerspectrumofmyactivismconcerns…NowIcan’tevenimaginenottakingsomesortofstepstobecomeinvolvedinimprovingtheeducationsystemforstudentsinneed.”ThisemergingpassionledAdeletoseeherselfasavoiceforstudents.Whileshenotedthatshewasnotyetsurewhatvenuethatadvocacywouldtake,shehad“mademyownpersonalcommitmenttodowhatIpersonallycantohelptheurbaneducationsystem.” For several students in theclass, the coursewasanopportunity to experi-enceurbanschoolingfromtheperspectiveofateacherratherthanastudent.Thisexaminationallowedforanewfoundperspectiveontheirownrelationshipswithurbancommunitiesaswellastherolethatthey,asproductsofurbanschools,canplayinschoolreform.Thesestudentsfacedthechallengeofcriticallyanalyzingandcritiquingschoolsincommunitiessimilartotheonestheythemselvesattendedasstudents.Theyalsotookonthechallengeofsimultaneouslyrepresentingbothurbanareasandhighereducation. ForAnisha,aBlackwomanfromPhiladelphia,thecoursesparkedapassionforeducationwhilealsochallenginghertomakesenseofherownroleinanurbancommunity.Throughout thecourse,Anishastruggledasbothaninsiderandanoutsiderinschoolandcollegecontexts.ReadingsassignedearlyinthecoursethatincludeddescriptionsofghettolifewerereassuringandcomfortableforAnishatoreadbecausetheyfeltlikehome.Shewashurtbythereactionofsomeofherpeerswhocalledthisenvironment“athirdworldcountryorwarzone.”Likewise,whileshewasofthesameraceandbackgroundasmanyoftheWorthingtonCharterSchoolstudents,shefounditdifficulttopresentherselfasayoungadultreceivingagoodeducationatapredominatelyWhiteliberalartscollege.Notably,Anisha’sgreatestchallengethroughoutthecoursewasfeelinglikea“foreignerinmyownculture.”Anisha’sreflectionuponherexperienceshelpedrelieveherfeelingofbeinga“traitor”fortranscendingthebarriersfacedbymanypeers.Attheconclusionofthecourse,shesaidsheinsteadfeltlikeacatalystforchangeinurbanschoolsanda“foundationofcommunity.” Warren,anAfricanAmericanman,alsoattendedthepublicschoolsinPhiladel-phia.Hecameintothecoursehavingexperiencedmanyofthecommonproblemsinurbaneducation.Histeachers,henoted,“oftenbabysat”ratherthantaughtandused“non-challengingcoursework,tracking,andstrongrelianceontradesintheschool.”Theseshortcomingshadinspiredhimtobecomeaneducator.Throughoutthecourse,Warrenstruggledwithhispeers’,andevenhisown,discomfortworkingwithimpoverishedcommunities.Heexplainedthathewasfrustratedwithsocietybecauseit,“wasthecauseofthesestereotypesbyteachingustohavetheseprematureidealandthoughtsaboutthesepeople.”However,bytheconclusionofthecourseWarrenhadcometoamorecomplexunderstandingaboutthechallengesofwork-ingforsocialjustice.Hewrote:

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Iwalkawaywiththisexperiencewithamorecriticaldifferentiationofcomfortzonesandhowshockfromsteppingoutofcomfortzonescouldbeeasilymistakenformorenegativethingssuchasprejudicesandracism.Thisexperiencewasroughandexciting,butmyGoddidIlearn.

Middle School Student Outcomes TheCollegeandCareerInstituteaimedtohelpmiddleschoolstudents,atthecuspofimportanthighschoolandlifedecisions,understandtheneedfor,academicandpersonallifeat,andlogisticsofcollege.Theirsurveyresponsesfollowingtheconclusionoftheweek-longInstituteandcampusvisitindicatedincreasedperse-veranceandconfidenceregardingcollegeaswellasin-depthunderstandingsandconcreteskillsneededforhighereducation.Themiddleschoolstudentsindicatedthattheyhadabetterunderstandingofthevalueofacollegeeducationfollowingthisprogram,withonestudentwriting,“Ilearnedthatcollegeisagoodplacetogotobecomewhatyouwanttobecome.”Theprogramalsoseemedtohelpthestudentsreflectuponwhattheyasindividualsneededtodoinordertoreachcollege.Onestudentwrote,“Ilearnedtoworkhardnowtoopenopportunitiesformyselfinthefuture.”Othersechoedthissentiment,noting,“Ifyouhateasubject,trytodowellanddon’tletyourfriendtellyouwhattodo.Neverplayaround,”“Ifyouhaveadream,goforit,”and“Ifyouaregoingtocollege,keepyourheadup.Neverstopuntilyougetthere.”Thisincreasedattentiontohighereducationalsoseemedtotranslateintogreaterconfidenceaboutreachingcollege.Onestudentwrote,“IgainedanewexperienceandIfeelmoreconfidentaboutgoingtocollege.Itjustseemsnormal.” Themiddleschoolstudentsalsoreportedgainingamorein-depthunderstand-ingofthepersonalandacademicsidesofcollege.Onestudentnoted,“Igottoseehowrealcollegestudentslived,howtheclasseswere,andwhatthecampusdormslookedlike.”Anothercommented,“Ifoundoutwhatacollegecampuslookslike.”Themiddleschoolstudentswereimpressedwiththepositiveaspectsofcollegelife,noting,“Ilearnedthatcollegeismorethanalotofwork”and“Eventhoughclassescanbeboring,theseoneswereactuallyinteresting!”Theyalsoseemedtoappreciate the skillsnecessary forcollegesuccess,commentingspecificallyontimemanagementandresponsibility.Finally,themiddleschoolstudentsindicatedmoreknowledgeaboutthestepsleadingtocollege.Studentsexplainedthattheyhadlearnedabouttheprocessofselecting,applyingto,andpayingforcollege. In addition to college-related outcomes, another striking outcome of theGarrett-Worthingtonpartnershipwasthestrengthoftheconnectionsbetweenthemiddleschoolstudentsandtheircollegementors.Callingthembrothers,sisters,andbestfriends,theWorthingtonstudentscommentedagainandagainontheirmeaningfulrelationshipswithGarrettstudents.Themiddleschoolstudentswrote,“IfeltlikeIbuiltabondwiththestudentsfromGarrett,”“Ithinktheygaveusgoodadviceandsincetheywereclosetoouragetheyrelatedtous,”and“Icon-

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nectedwiththestudentsinasocialandfriendway,becausetheywereeasytotalktoandtheywerefunbutstillmadesurewenew[sic]whatweweretalkingabout.”Thestrengthoftheirconnectionwasalsoevidentattheconcludingcelebration,inwhichbothcollegeandmiddleschoolstudentsworematchingInstituteT-shirtsandspentthemorninghuggingandsigningeachothers’shirtswithpermanentpens.TheWorthingtonassistantprincipalcommentedthattheatmosphereintheroomfeltlikethe“endofsummercamp.”

Middle School Student Experiences JustasGarrettstudentsmadesenseoftheirworkthroughthelensesoftheirpreviouseducationalbackgroundandlifeexperiences,soWorthingtonstudentsbegantothinkabouttheircareerandlifeplansinrelationtotheirpreviousinterestsandexperiences.Casestudiesoftwomiddleschoolstudentsindicatethattheirpartici-pationintheCollegeandCareerInstituteallowedthemtheopportunitytoexploretheirowntalentsandintereststhroughstructuredthinkingandreflectionexercisesandimagineafuturethatincorporatedthoseessentialpartsoftheirpersonalities. Martiniquewasoneof theyoungest studentsparticipating in the Institute.Althoughshewasnotyetapplyingtohighschools,theCollegeandCareerInsti-tutegavehertheopportunitytoreflectonpastexperiencesandtheirrelationshiptofutureplans.Inparticular,Martiniqueconsideredthewaysinwhichadomesticburglaryincidentinspiredherinterestinprotectingherfriendsandfamilyfromnegativeforcesinsociety.Throughconversationsandactivitieswithcollegemen-tors,Martiniquebegantoaspiretowardasuccessfulcareerasalawyer.Duringanexerciseinwhichstudentsdescribedtheirfutureselvesandaskedtheirpeersandparentstoguess“WhoAmI?”Martiniquewrote,“IamthemostfamousAfricanAmericanlawyer.Idefendedmymotherinacasewhenabadguybrokeintoherhouseandshehadtohithimontheheadwithafryingpan.Ihadtoproveitwasselfdefense.”HerparticipationintheCollegeandCareerInstitutefosteredimportantreflectivethinkingforthismiddleschoolstudentabouttherelationshipbetweenherpastexperiences,interests,andfutureplans. Raffiinitiallypresentedhimselfasachallengetothecollegestudentsthroughhisinquisitivenature,apparentinabilitytofocus,andconstantphysicalmotion.Whenaskedaquestion,Raffitendedtogiggleandsquirmhiswayoutofanswer-ingbyaskinganotherquestioninresponse.Whileeasytoengageinconversationaboutvideogamesandfuturewealth,itwasdifficultguidingRaffiindiscussionsabouthisfuture.Afterseveraldaysoftalkingaboutfutureplansandambitions,Raffistillwasdisinterestedandunabletofocus.Italmostseemedasthoughhewouldbetheonestudentinthegroupwhowouldnotmaketheconnectionbetweensixthgrade,highschool,andthecollegeyearsbeyond.However,itwaswhenthecollegestudentsposedthequestion“Whomakesthevideogamesyouplay?”thatRaffibegantoconsiderhowhispassioncouldtranslateintoacareer.Inhis“WhoAmI?”exercise,Raffisawhimselfas“makinggamesforNintendoinFloridaafter

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graduatingfromFloridaStateUniversity.”Bytheendoftheweek-longInstitute,Raffiwasbetterabletoconceptualizethepossibleconnectionbetweenhisinterests,hiseducation,andhisfuturecareerplans.

Surprising Outcomes It is neverpossible to anticipate all of theoutcomesof teacher education,particularlynewinstitutionalpartnershipsbringingtogetherstudentsfromdistinctracial,socioeconomic,andculturalbackgrounds.Oneofmostsurprisingoutcomesresultingfromthisreal-worldcollaborationaroundurbaneducationcamenotfromtheinteractionbetweengroupsofstudents,butratherfromwithinthegroupofcollegestudents.Garrettstudentsnotedthatthiscoursethrustthemoutofthenor-malcyoftheireverydaylives.Theyeitheragreedorstronglyagreedwiththesurveyprompt,“Thiscoursepushedmetostepoutofmycomfortzone.”Thechallengeofworkinginneweducationalcontextsbroughtupfeelingsofdiscomfortforallparticipatingstudentsandraisedtensionsbetweenstudents.SomeWhitestudents,likeMaura,whothemselveswereeducatedinprivateschoolsettings,workedto“transcendthesocialbarriersofclassandcolor…[and]walkintotheschoolwithanopenmindandawillingnesstotry.”StudentslikeMauraworkedside-by-sidewithstudentslikeAnisha,aBlackstudenteducatedwithinurbanpublicschoolswhofelt thatreturningto thesesameschoolsfromtheperspectiveofa teachermadeheran“outsider”ora“foreignerinherownculture.” Bothofthesegroupsofstudents,fordifferentreasons,feltuneasyabouttheirnewrolesasurbaneducatorsandtheiranxietyattimesproducedconflictaroundperceiveddedicationtourbancommunities,useofleisuretimeforstress-releaseversusenrichment,andwillingnesstofullyengagewithindividualsdifferentfromthemselves.Althoughthesedifferencesinbackgroundandperspectiveledattimestodisagreement,theyalsoultimatelyhelpedthesestudentsdeveloptheabilitytolookaturbaneducationfromperspectivesotherthantheirown.Attheconclusionofthesemester,bothMauraandAnishahadgrownintheircapacitytoconsidercomplexissuesinurbaneducationfrommultiplelenses,manyofwhichtheylearnedfromtheirclassmates.Attheconclusionofthecourse,Mauraindicatedshehadlearnedthather“socio-economicstatusandeducationhistorycanbeusedasatool,notabarrier,toreformefforts.”Inthefinalreflections,Mauraalsowrote:

IwroteinsomeofmypriorreflectionsoftheimmenseguiltthatIhavefeltasaprivately-educatedmiddle-classWhitefemale.Ihavediscussedmystrugglewithtryingtomergemyprivilegeintoaction.Additionally,IhavebeenabletoexpressmyfrustrationswiththeclasssysteminAmericaandhowitcontinuestoisolatemefromthosepeoplethatImostwanttoconnectto…Icontinuetohavethesefeelings,butIfeelasthoughtheyhavediminishedsignificantlybecauseIhavetakenthetimetobecomeeducatedabouttheissues…Istilldon’tknowexactlyhowIfeelaboutmanyoftheissuesthatwehavediscussedinthisclass…Ido,however,believethatIamnowbetterequippedtocontinuetochallengemyselfin

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regardtothosequestions.Inthissense,learningtogetherwithotherlike-mindedstudentsaswellasourcommunityconnectionsinBaltimorehasbeenthemosteye-openingexperiencethatIhavehadthissemester,andIamabetterstudentandactivistforit.

LikeMaura,Anishaalsofeltthatshegrewtremendouslyfromherinteractionwithpeers.Sheexplained:

Thediscussionsthatwehad…wereeyeopeningtome.Ithoughtthatme,asanurbanstudentinaclassofpredominatelymiddleclassstudents,wouldfeeloutofplaceanduncomfortable.Butthiswasnotthecase.Everystudentwasrespectfultotheopinionsofothersandeverystudenthadsomethingdifferenttobringtothetable.Themixtureoftypesofstudentsiswhatmadetheclasssoexcitingforme…Toviewonereadingfromsomanydifferentaspectswasastonishing.Iwasabletounderstandandinterpretthereadingsinavarietyofwayswhichhelpedmebetterunderstandthetext.

Thusoneofthemostpowerful,althoughunanticipatedoutcomesoffirst-handworkinurbanschoolswasnotonlytheinteractionbetweencollegeandmiddleschoolstudentsbutalsothechallengingandproductiveinteractionbetweencollegestudentsfromdifferentbackgroundsastheystruggledindependentlyandtogethertomakesenseoftheirexperiencewithurbanschoolsandstudents.

Discussion Giventhecurrentdisconnectbetweensitesofteacherpreparationandschoolcontexts,closecollaborationbetweenteacherpreparationprogramsandurbanschoolsisvital(e.g.,McDiarmid&Clevenger-Bright,2008;Zeichner,2003).OurmodelofsharedownershiparoundmutuallybeneficiallearningexperiencesbothblendsandexpandscurrentPDS,service-learning,andfieldexperiencemodelswithitsstrongemphasisonconcretelearningexperiencesfortwoparticipatinggroupsofstudents.LikePDSpartnerships,theoutcomesindicatethatourswasamutuallybeneficialsiteforteacheraswellasstudentlearning,onewhichfosteredgrowthamongsocioeconomically,racially,andculturallydiversecollegeandmiddleschoolstudents(Byrd&McIntyre,1999).Ourpartnershipalsoexemplifiedtheprinciplesofservicelearningbycomplementingacademicscholarshipabouturbaneducationwithmeaningfulexperiencesdesignedtoserveidentifiedschoolandstudentneeds(Butin,2005).Andlikethemostpowerfulurbanfieldexperiences,studentoutcomesindicatedamoredevelopedpedagogyforurbanstudents,adeeperunderstandingofurbancommunities,andamorethoughtfulpathtowardbecomingeducatorsoradvocatesinthesesamecommunities(Darling-Hammond,2006). Casestudiesfromourcollaborationalsoindicatethatwhilepositiveoutcomesoccurredforparticipatingcollegeandmiddleschoolstudents,theshapeofthoseoutcomes varied considerably based on individuals’ backgrounds and previouseducationalexperiences(Cole&Knowles,1993;Johnson,2007).Somecollege

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studentsrefinedtheircareerpaths,somebecameadvocatesforeducationalequity,andothersdevelopednewrelationshipswiththeircommunities,outcomeswhichwerenegotiatedbetweentheirpriorperspectivesandnewexperiences.Moreover,themiddleschoolsstudentsalsodevelopedcareerplanswhichemergedfromtheirpastexperiencesandinterests.Thusourexperienceinthispartnershipindicatesthat,aswithbroadereducationalendeavors,studentoutcomesarefarfromaone-size-fits-allventure(Cochran-Smith&Fries,2005).Rather,studentoutcomesarebynaturecomplexandmediatedbythevarietyofbackgrounds,experiences,andperspectivestheybringtotheproject. WealsofoundGarrettstudentstostruggleinavarietyofwayswiththenotionofateachingcareerinanurbansetting.Somestudentsconsideredeitherurbanteachingoradvocacyasaresultoftheexperience,butonlyforalimitedamountof time.Their long-termplans remained unchanged.Others grappledwith thenotionofworkingasanurbanteacherbutlivingorraisingchildreninadifferentcommunity.Andsomeeliminatedteachingaltogetherbasedonthetimeanddedica-tionrequired.Garrettstudents’reflectionsupontheirpersonallives,professionaldirection,andtherelationshipsbetweenthetwospeaktotheongoingchallengeofrecruitmentandretentioninhigh-needurbanclassrooms.Ourexperiencessuggestthatrecruitmentstrategiescannotbegeneralizedacrossallprospectiveteachers,butrathershouldbeindividualizedtomeettheneedsofparticularcandidatesinspecificschoolcontexts.Moreover,althoughsomeindividualsultimatelydecidednottopursueteaching,theyneverthelessgainedimportantunderstandingsabouturbanschoolsandstudentswhichmeaningfullyinformarangeofrelevantworkoutsideoftheclassroom. Finally,ourexperiencesalsosuggestthecentralityofresponsiverelationshipstothesuccessofthecollaboration(Dance,2002;Noddings,2001).TheCollegeandCareer Institutewas designed around several small learning communities,intendedtofacilitatemutualunderstandingandrespect.Forcollegestudents,thesesmallgroupingfosteredamorecomplexunderstandingofurbanstudentmotiva-tions,familyinvolvement,educationalopportunities,andcareeraspirations.Formiddleschoolstudents,theypromotedastrongsenseofmentorshipaswellasthe“normalization”ofhighereducation.Wewerealsooverwhelmedbythepowerofongoingreflectivecommunicationamongcollegestudentsthemselves.Althoughtheseinteractionswereattimestense,theresponsiverelationshipswhichemergedhelpedcourseparticipantslearnfromeachother,takeonavarietyofproductiveperspectives,andconsiderthecomplexitiesofurbanschoolingthroughmultiplelenses.Finally,themutuallyrespectfulandeffectiveworkingrelationshipbetweeninstitutionalpartnersreinforcedtheimportanceofresponsiverelationshipstothesuccessofthecollaborationitself(Marlow,etal.,2005;Russell&Flynn,2000). Alltogether,weseesharedownershipasanequitableapproachtoK-12partner-shipsinwhichstudentsofallagesserveasbothteachersandlearners.Thissmall-scalecasestudyillustratedtheshort-termlearningandgrowththatoccurredfor

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bothcollegestudentsandmiddleschoolstudentsintermsofperspectives,reflectiveabilities,andcareerplanswithinthecontextofaweek-longafterschoolprogram.Werecognizethattheresponsiverelationshipsattheheartofourpartnershipandthecomplexityofstudentoutcomesmakescalingandprogramevaluationchal-lenging.Nevertheless,webelievethemodelofsharedownershipholdspromiseforfosteringmeaningfulcollaborativelearningexperiencesbetweencollegeandK-12students.

Notes 1Allnamesarepseudonyms. 2ThispartnershipreceivedfundingfordevelopmentfromthePaulH.RhoadsTeachingandProfessionalDevelopmentGrantandforimplementationfromtheI.W.Foundation.

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